In the heart of the midwest, amongst many other small towns, you’ll find Heyworth, Illinois. With a growing population of 2,850 people, Heyworth is one of the fastest growing communities in rural McLean County. Heyworth offers many things for its community. For example, the ‘neighborhood watch’ in each subdivision, as well as their great schools, several parks, and more. Heyworth offers a great local police protection and a volunteer fire department, several churches of various denominations, and several activities throughout the year. You can celebrate Hey Days in May, parades throughout the year, and the "Holidays Heyworth Style" parade and craft show.
| 1 | History |
| 2 | Education |
| 3 | Churches |
| 4 | Museums |
| 5 | Food |
| 6 | HeyDays |
History
Before Heyworth began in 1858, it was just a large area of dense timber inhabited by deer, turkey, large grey wolf packs, and the Kickapoo Indians. Families began to settle in area of present day Heyworth as early as the 1920s but the town was not officially settled until the Illinois Central Railroad put a train station in the town. One of the main landowner’s in the area, Campbell Wakefield, donated land to have the station built. The train station was originally named ‘Elmwood’ but was later renamed ‘Heyworth.’ The town was then named after the station which led to the town officially becoming the Village of Heyworth. After the station was built, Wakefield encouraged business through the railroad, causing more people to settle in Heyworth. His efforts led to him becoming the proprietor of the new found village.
Campbell Wakefield of the Village of Heyworth
Education
When it comes to education, Heyworth has two excellent schools in the town. Heyworth Elementary, on East Main Street, houses grades Pre-K through 6th grade while Heyworth Jr./Sr. High, on West Cleveland Street, has grades 7th-12th. In both schools, students roam the halls as Heyworth Hornets! Heyworth offers small class sizes for more focused learning for students. Both schools have the same mission:
“Heyworth CUSD#4 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission to its programs, services, or activities, in access to them, in treatment of individuals, or in any aspect of their operations. The lack of English language skills shall not be a barrier to admission or participation in the district’s activities and programs. Heyworth CUSD#4 also does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices.”
Churches
There are four churches in the Heyworth area. If you’re looking for a specific denomination, Heyworth churches have a few to offer. In town, there are two nondenominational Christian churches, one Methodist church, and an Apostolic Pentecostal church.
308 N Vine St, Heyworth, IL, 61745
(309) 473-2771
United Methodist Church of Heyworth
302 E Main St, Heyworth, IL 61745
(309) 473-2223
107 E Newton St, Heyworth, IL 61745
(309) 473-9940
New Horizons Christian Church
14038 E 350 North Rd, Heyworth, IL 61745
(309) 473-2716
Museums
Currently in Heyworth, there is one museum; The Simpkins Military Museum. The Railroad Museum is in the process of being funded to be created in Heyworth currently, but it is not yet on the track of being built yet. The Simpkins Military Museum is privately owned and offered free admission by appointment. Mr. Simpkins has been collecting war memorabilia since he was 12 and has artifacts from the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. Visitors can view over 130 pieces of military headgear, over 300 uniforms and more than 50 military weapons in the museum. The museum can hold up to 45 visitors at one time.
"Not to glorify war, but to honor the warriors." Simpkins Military Museum motto
Food
Heyworth isn’t known for its food, but you can still find some places to grab a bite to eat in town! In town you can find a Subway restaurant, two local bars, two gas stations that make pizzas, and a family owned and operated Mexican restaurant to get food. No matter where you go, you'll find each place has great food to offer!
Casey's General Store
At Casey's you can order many different types of food. They're mostly known for their pizzas, but they also have a new sub bar to make sandwiches. The Heyworth Casey's will make sandwiches until 1 am on most nights unless they choose otherwise.
Godfather's Pizza
The Godfather's pizza in Heyworth can be found at the competing gas station, Hucks. They don't make pizzas as long as Caseys does and they don't serve many other foods. However both places pizzas are very different, so it's really ones preference on where to order from.
Subway
They Heyworth subway is justlike any subway in Bloomington-Normal, just with a hometown feel. The staff that works there are all friendly and take time to get to know their customers. Going to subway isn't like any normal fast food run, it's like a visit with old friends.
Pit Row is the more popular bar out of the two in Heyworth. Pit Row gives a family friendly feel during the day and offers a variety of burgers and horseshoes. They have many choices to choose from, be it appetizers, or a typical lunch and dinner, they have food for everyone!
The Circle II offers great meals all day for everyone! From 5:30 am to 9:30 am, you can get decently priced breakfasts every day of the week. During the rest of the day, you have great lunch and dinner options that are also decently priced.
If you get a craving for Mexican food, Heyworth has a small town restaurant to fill that craving! Coronas offers an assortment of different types of Mexican foods in a family dining restaurant.
Heydays
Heydays is Heyworth’s version of a May Days carnival. The celebration of Heydays takes place during the last weekend of May. When Heydays arrives, you can expect everyone in the town start to knock out their spring cleaning and get ready for the town wide yard sales. Children begin to save up their money to purchase their wristbands for the carnival rides while parents save up for the market that takes place while the rides are running. Live music from locals bands fill the town while the Heyworth Churches team up to have a dinner large enough for the entire town. The best way to find out the events for the next HeyDays is to keep up with their official website. They'll keep dates posted so you'll know what's in store for the next year!
Sources:
Heydays 1
Heydays 2
